Baltimore City Department of Planning e-News - September 2018

A Message from the Director

Welcome to another edition of our monthly newsletter. As you can see, we are as busy as ever. This issue highlights many of the happenings at the Department of Planning this Fall: the Planning Academy; the Capital Improvement Program process; Made in Baltimore; proposed signage amendments to the Zoning Code; and the presentation of the final Baltimore Green Network Plan to the Planning Commission.

As this will be the final issue of The Compass with me in the Planning Director role, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and sincerely thank all of the talented staff at the Planning Department for their service to Baltimore. They are instrumental in making good things happen in the City, both large and small—bringing stakeholders together to collaborate on neighborhood and strategic plans, improving the urban design of proposed building projects, designating historic properties and promoting their rehabilitation, preparing residents for natural disasters and increasing city resiliency, generating state of the art GIS maps and analysis, increasing the availability of healthy foods in underserved neighborhoods—the list goes on. Every day, their collective passion for improving Baltimore motivates Planning staff as they engage with residents, developers, consultants, agency peers, institutional representatives, elected officials, community associations and non-profit partners. This group of planning professionals, along with our dedicated administrative and support staff, represents some of the best and the brightest in their fields. I have been constantly impressed with their desire to improve departmental operations, city policy and programming, and outcomes for city residents and stakeholders, with a special focus on addressing difficult and longstanding equity issues. It’s been an honor for me to lead--and learn from--this planning team for the last 9 years, and I look forward to many great things to come from Baltimore’s Department of Planning.

Finally, my thanks goes to all of you for being partners with the City of Baltimore in moving us forward. Though some tough challenges remain, and progress can sometimes seem elusive, the strength, savvy and spirit of the people of Baltimore give me confidence that our best days lie ahead.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Stosur, Director

Baltimore Green Network Heads to Planning Commission on 9/27

It is with immense pride that the Department of Planning announces the official release of the Baltimore Green Network plan this month. The plan heralds a new vision for Baltimore that imagines an interconnected system of natural and recreational spaces throughout Baltimore City – including landscaped plazas, parks, urban gardens and forests. The release of the plan is a culmination of more than two years of planning in partnership with residents and community based organizations, including dozens of meetings and feedback from hundreds of individuals.

A copy of the plan document may be found on the Department of Planning website or on the Baltimore Green Network website.

The Baltimore Green Network plan will be presented to the Planning Commission for adoption on September 27, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Stanton Board Room, located at 417 East Fayette Street, 8th Floor. If you are unable to attend the hearing in person, it will also be viewable through live-streaming using this link.

Register for a 2020 Census Workshop on September 29

Every Baltimore resident must be counted to ensure we get our fair share of federal funds for essential programs!

Every Baltimore resident must be counted to ensure we get our fair share of federal funds for essential programs that cover health care, education, housing, economic development and transportation, and to strengthen our political representation at the state and federal levels.

The United States Census Bureau 's decision to include a question about citizenship status could imperil evidence-based efforts to achieve an accurate 2020 count. That is why Maryland has joined 17 other states and the District of Columbia in litigation to reverse this decision and ensure all Baltimore residents are counted.

It will take a team comprised of city officials, community agencies, and YOU, the passionate residents of our beloved Baltimore to make sure #BmoreCounts in 2020.

On September 29, join Mayor Pugh (Census Taskforce Chair, US Conference of Mayors), local, state and federal officials, and community stakeholders on September 29 to learn about how you can become a partner in this effort, as well as:

Grant Opportunities This Month:

Applications are being accepted
now for the Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge Grant, which supports student-led
environmental projects in City Schools with awards of up to $2,500. Details and
application here.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until November 2; the sooner you apply, the sooner you will get funding. Questions? Contact Abby Cocke at abby.cocke@baltimorecity.gov or 443-631-0432.

The MECU Neighborhood Event Grants program awards cash grants to Baltimore City nonprofit neighborhood associations and community-based organizations for the purpose of producing a free-to-the-public special event.

New this year, with special thanks to the support of MECU, Baltimore’s Credit Union, eligible groups can receive up to $5,000.

Planning Academy Fall Session Underway

Follow Along Online!

The Fall session of Planning Academy is now underway, and the public is encouraged to follow along by downloading materials for the course and viewing video on our website HERE.

This is the inaugural edition of Planning Academy, and we are excited to have 30 participants join us from throughout Baltimore City for this six week introduction to planning and community development.

INSPIRE Fall Opportunities and News

The 10th INSPIRE plan is headed to Planning Commission for Adoption on Thursday, October 18. For more information and to read the Draft Arlington Elementary School INSPIRE neighborhood plan please visit the Arlington page on INSPIRE’s website.

Additionally, the INSPIRE program has had an opportunity to work with Fort
Worthington Elementary/Middle School to help build a community garden. The
garden is well on it's way, and more planting will take place this fall.
Additional features will be designed and added through a partnership between an
artist, the school, and community.

Currently, there is a call for an artist open. The deadline is September
30.

Meet New Planning Interns Joining for 2018-2019

This semester, we have two great interns joining our team and we would like to introduce them below:

Arriel Humphrey is joining us to work on the INSPIRE program:

Arriel grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Arriel is an advanced year
student at University of Maryland School of Social Work with a concentration in
Community Action and Social Policy.

She is thrilled to be working in the
Department of Planning’s INSPIRE program because the INSPIRE program embodies many of
the concepts within macro-level social work practice.

Uniquely different from
clinical social work practice, macro-level social work includes community
organizing and development, social planning, political and social action,
program and resource development, and other forms of advocacy.

Arriel's internship/
field placement extends through April 2019. It’s a 9-month
internship made possible through a partnership between the Department of Planning
(INSPIRE program) and the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Arriel is looking forward to learning about the aspirations and ingenuity of each
neighborhood and participating in efforts to strengthen the community.

Sha'Von Terrell is joining the Office of Sustainability

Sha’Von Terrell is a Master’s of City and Regional Planning
candidate at Morgan State University. She is a native of Leesburg, GA.

Sha’Von is interning in the Office of Sustainability for the
fall 2018 semester. She is responsible for collecting, responding and analyzing
comments regarding the Baltimore City Sustainability Plan. Moreover, she is
passionate about community engagement and development and is looking forward to
being involved in creating a sustainable Baltimore.

TODAY! Learn about the Capital Improvement Program on September 24 and Vote For Baltimore Bonds in November!

We will be holding a public
information session on the Capital Improvement Program as we prepare to kick
off the FY2020-2025 planning process. Please reserve September 24, 2018 from
6-8 pm on your calendar for this information session. Visit
our website for more information on the Capital Improvement Program.

Signage Zoning Meeting on October 1:

The Department of
Planning is continuing to review and accept public comment on City
Council Bill #18-0272/ Zoning- Sign Regulations. In order to walk
interested parties through what we've heard from the public thus far and garner
any additional feedback, the Department of Planning is hosting a second public
informational meeting which is scheduled for:

Upcoming Events

9/24 - Vital Signs Roundtable Discussion

Every year, the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance at the University of Baltimore releases the city’s Vital Signs report and open data portal that provides more than 100 quality of life indicators for all communities in Baltimore.

BNIA is hosting a series of three roundtable conversations to engage in a dialogue about the Vital Signs indicators. The September 24 discussion focuses on Sustainability. It will be held at 4 PM at UB's Thumel Business Center at 11 W Mt. Royal Street, Room 205.

9/25 - National Preparedness Month

It is National Preparedness month this September. On September 25th from 6:30 to 8 PM, City staff will be at 5110 Frederick Avenue (Still Meadow Church) in Baltimore City to provide residents with resources and
materials to get residents better prepared to manage disasters.

9/27 and 10/18 - Planning Commission

The Planning Commission meets regularly each month. All meetings are held in the Phoebe B. Stanton Boardroom of the Department of Planning, located on the 8th floor of 417 East Fayette Street and are open to the public. Live streaming is available.

9/29 - Harlem Park Cleanup

Join residents, neighbors and the community as we do a fall cleaning of the Harlem Park's Inner Block Parks on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to Noon, beginning at 1215 W. Lafayette. Gloves, clippers and bags will be available. Our tasks will be to pick up trash, remove weeds and prepare these neighborhood amenities for the fall.